All you need to know about QR codes

Have you ever wondered what these strange black and white squared graphics mean? You’ve probably seen them around a lot lately, but do you really know what they’re used for, or how can you read them? No worries: OnSoftware comes to the rescue! In this post I’ll try to explain everything you need to know about QR codes.

Yes, these strange symbols are called QR codes (Quick Response codes). They’re an evolution of the classic barcode, a standard sign that enables you to represent more than 4,000 alphanumeric characters in a bi-dimensional graphic (don’t worry about that!).

QR codes were initially used in the automotive industry to keep track of stocks, but nowadays their usage has spread everywhere as a handy way to share information: IT companies, software developers, advertising agencies and media, they’ve all used QR codes at some point.

In order to read QR codes, you need a camera-equipped device and a compatible reader. These requisites were a real handicap a few years ago, but now that most of us have a smartphone with camera in our pocket, we’re now ready to scan QR codes anywhere. This is precisely why their popularity has grown so much in the last few months.

Creating QR codes is really simple. All you need is a QR code generator, which you can get as a desktop utility (such as iCandy, for Windows and Mac). But the easiest thing to do is probably using an online app, like Kaywa . Just select the type of data you’re going to encode, enter it into the form and press Generate.

Now that you’ve learned how to create QR codes, it’s time to learn how to read them. There are literally dozens of QR code readers available today, depending on your device’s operating system. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones for Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.

Barcode Scanner (Android) – Works not only with QR codes, but also with other barcode formats . It also searches the web with the data found in the scanned code.

i-nigma (iPhone) – This handy app and your iPhone’s camera will enable you to unveil all the secrets behind any QR code. It also supports other code formats like DataMatrix.

Beetagg (Blackberry) – Have a Blackberry? This is the perfect code reader for you! It’s not only compatible with QR codes, but also with DataMatrix and BeeTagg.

i-nigma (Windows Mobile) – Besides iPhone, i-nigma works also on the Windows Mobile platform . It’s very easy to use and lets you share codes with other users.

So, now that you’ve learnt what a QR code is, how to create them and how to read them, it’s time for some action. Check out these three sample codes and discover all the possibilities behind this new technology to share information.

We use own and third party cookies to improve our services and your experience. This includes to personalise ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. If you continue browsing, you are considered to have accepted such use. You may change your cookie preferences and obtain more information here.